House pets, particularly cats and dogs, require proper and timely feeding. This is normally accomplished by putting out separate or partitioned bowls for food and water at specific times and with the foreknowledge that the area about the bowls will have to be cleaned of residue after the pet has completed feeding. This is particularly the case with cats which tend to remove food from the bowl to the floor prior to eating.
Each meal is normally prepared at the time of feeding, whether this involves merely pouring prepackaged foodstuff within the appropriate bowls or actually mixing a variety of ingredients. This task can at times be burdensome, particularly when coupled with the necessity to maintain the area about the feeding bowls clean as in the case of the bowls being placed on a kitchen floor. Problems can also arise when the pet owner or owners work or have other obligations out of the home, allowing little time to accommodate feeding schedules and the requisite cleanup involved.